Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-01-22
THE PLATE HEATERS
OVER AT THE LAUGHLIN PRESENT TIKI
SIXK-FIyB CENT SCALE.
The President Of The Western Iron Association
falkS About Inc Price Of IrOu-
General Notes.

The heaters at the lIaughlin MN, re-
Gently taken into the Amalgamation, have
presented the CSC scale to the managers,
and are promised an answer by to-day
noon. What the answer will be is hard to
determine, as it is reported that number
of men have already offered TO take their
places at lower rate of wages. 1t Is
hoped, however, that an amieable adjust
ment may be arrived ut and the mill go on
without a strike or difficulty.
President b. F. Jones, of the Western
Iron Association, has made the following
statement regarding the different stands
taken by his own and the Eastern Iron
Association, aud the recent failure OF
the Western people to advance the card
price of IRON
81 think" said Mr.. Jones, THAT the
action OF our Association in refusing TO adj
vance prices was very wise. There IL un-
doubtedly good market for iron, and
this may lead many people to believe that
prices should have been advanced above
the 2-cent scale. But those people do not
stop to consider that We cannot always get
the price we ask A merchant may come
10 me and ask what rate | will sell him
900 tons of iron. / will tell him ut =
cents, and he'll say, 'I'll take it But
surprising | say .. 10 he will probably say,
'Pll not take it; | can get it for less else
where.
1T is folly" continued Mr.. Jones, ito
talk Of us refusing TO advance to s.. 10 for
the reason that we do not wish to advance
the scale of wages, a. any person who
thinks over the matter for a moment must
see that il is TO our interest to get better
rates If we can. A tenth of an increase
means 81 ton more for us and only 10
cents of IAN advance ON J, 100 pounds for the
puddler, for instance. Now why should
we refuse to make 81 more merely for the
purpose of keeping the puddler out of 10
cents more? Don't you see the fallacy OF
such reasoning"
But why should the Eastern manutac-
turers advance prices when the Western
Iron Association could nOt?"
For the reason that they can afford to
do So They study the markets and know
that they can get what they have asked. !"
"But will not this give the Western
manufacturers an opportunity to get into
the Eastern market"
''Not at the 2-cent rate. The freight to
the East is Is cents, and that alone would
keep us out. In addition TO this the
Eastern men have the preference in their
market rs we have in ours, and even if we
could manage to get our iron there and
sell ut their prices the merchant would
say, Well, / can get it "a cheap at home,
and | will A merchant in Lancaster, for
instance, would have no inducement to
buy in Pittsburg ut cents and pay freight,
nor would q merchant at a point in Ohio
find any profit in going to Philadelphia if
they were selling at y small percentage
below us. Water will find its level, and
the conditions of the markets in the East
and West at present are really nothing
more than an equalization of business in
the two districts. When We sold ut $l.6j
and 81. - the Eastern men could sell from
Il to Il cents higher, and now that we are
selling at 81 they can sell ut 81. I'D. PeO-
pie can talk about the feasibility Of adj
vancing rates, but We must consider that
the consumer has some rights and
remember that there is strong possibility
of OVERRIDING the thing. 1t is better to
20 slow and be on the safe side always.
When there are indications that an adj
vance can be made we will cheerfully make
it, | assure you, but not until then. |
will sell all the iron | can now at = cents,
hut will not sell it six months in advance
ut that rate, for there is no telling what
we may be paying for labor or pig metal
by that time. We cannot iOrctell what
wars or crops may bring about"
Mr.. Jones stated in conclusion that at
the Association meeting each firm sub
mitted a pledge to the effect that it had
not sold above the cent card.